Boredom has become a lost art. In an age defined by constant connection and endless digital stimulation, stillness is often viewed as unproductive or even uncomfortable. Yet boredom once served an essential purpose — one that is quietly disappearing in the modern college experience.

The challenge came from the desk of Business School Dean Dr. David Szymanski, who, in his first year at Baylor, has pushed for the adoption of AI across all business disciplines. Working alongside the entrepreneurship department, Szymanski wanted to lead something that combines a top-10 program with the popular technology.

The festival will feature panels and discussions from poets Victoria Chang, Carl Phillips and Christian Wiman, student-made exhibits across a wider swath of campus and an award ceremony commemorating the winners of a literary contest in both poetry and fiction.

The course represents a new kind of offering from the Center for Global Engagement, in that it gives students of all academic backgrounds an experiential learning opportunity with a domestic company known for its efficiency and innovation.

“So we’re helping the entrepreneur ecosystem,” Martin said. “In addition to helping starters raise funding, we also help angel groups find members … we also help VC funds find limited partners, primarily family offices.”

“UIF stands out as a chance for student advocacy and definitely brings a global connection to Baylor,” Friend said. “It really has a holistic approach in trying to solve these problems on campus, where we’re really trying to emphasize the student voice.”

Baylor’s John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise is one of the oldest entrepreneurship programs in the nation — and for the last 15 years, it has been a top-10 program too, according to associate director Kathy Carr.

Being in college for three years has taught me many things, the most important being the best ways to elevate a 50-cent cup of instant noodles. There are a lot of different ingredients that can be added to this staple to make it a little more interesting.

It was 4 a.m., and I was out on the stoop of my apartment building reading the Times, when I thought, “How did this newspaper make it to my door step?”